


The Heart is a Muscle

by ExtraSteps



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Angst, Fluffy Ending, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-28
Updated: 2018-10-28
Packaged: 2019-08-08 18:47:07
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,988
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16434824
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ExtraSteps/pseuds/ExtraSteps
Summary: Liam goes looking for Theo a few weeks after the events at the hospital to find out if he's ready to give them a shot.





	The Heart is a Muscle

It hurt, but he was used to it. Everyone seemed to leave him behind eventually. His dad. Brett and his other lacrosse friends. Hayden. Scott.   


He'd learned to harden his heart to protect himself, or at least he thought he had. Somehow though, Theo had wormed his way in there while Liam was looking the other way. One day they were enemies, the next, he was everywhere, and Liam was leaning on  him heavily, always knowing that if he glanced over his shoulder, Theo would have his back.   


Standing there, in the elevator, it had felt like a moment. Like things were shifting. The fact that Liam was seventeen and still learning things about himself was surprising, but he found that it sat right with him. After all, you didn't love someone for the outside package, so why would what they had between their legs matter? He was into Theo, and he was pretty sure that Theo was into him too.   


So after all the fighting, he'd had a long hard look at himself, examining all of the damage he carried, and decided he didn't want to give up on love at the tender age of seventeen.   


He wanted to give it another shot.   


Now all he had to do was find Theo. Theo, who wasn't answering his calls or messages.   


Liam tucked his phone into his pocket, gritting his jaw. Theo didn't want to talk to him? Well that was fine, but he could damn well listen. He grabbed his jacket and pulled it on, setting out to look for the chimera.

***

Theo didn't really remember his family. The years have robbed him of them. His sister still haunted him, of course, but it wasn't really her. Just a fragment of his imagination, twisted by guilt and fear and loathing.   


Sometimes he caught a scent that reminded him of one of them, and he would stand stock still with his eyes closed, trying to remember what love felt like.   


For so long now, his life had been a pit that he couldn't climb out of. Torture, experiments, blood, poison, pain and fear, always fear. And when the shackles had finally been removed, he'd been in the ground, in a new type of hell, one designed just for him by the skinwalkers.   


It had been Liam who had saved him, Liam who had burrowed his way in under Theo's skin and into his bloodstream.   


He'd, quite literally, never felt this way before. And he had no idea how to handle it.   


Anger he was familiar with, he could redirect it and point it at a target, but when Liam had looked at him with eyes full of a completely different kind of emotion, the opposite in fact, Theo had freaked out. Because it had resonated with something inside him as well, something that cut him right to the core.   


It had been painful, so he'd done what he did best. Buried it, and left.   


He didn't go too far though. The pack might need him. Liam might need him.   


***

The trouble with finding someone who doesn’t particularly want to be found is that it’s pretty well impossible. Even with his wolf nose, Liam was pretty shit at tracking, and he kept getting distracted by things that smelled nice, like the food coming from the twenty-four hour diner by the preserve. The scent wafted through the trees, making his belly rumble and pulling his nose away from that faint trace of Theo that he was trying to follow.

“Fuck it,” he sighed, turning towards the diner. He couldn’t track on an empty stomach, clearly, so he might as well give in and go and eat whatever it was that smelled so good and then try and find Theo.

It didn’t take him long to get there. He’d been pretty well circling the place, trying to convince himself that he was tracking Theo when in reality he was just following his stomach.

The diner was all but abandoned, apart from a few sketchy looking guys in the corner booth and a reasonably built dude flipping burgers in the kitchen with his back to Liam. 

Of course, that didn’t stop Liam from immediately recognising him. Looked like he’d found Theo after all.

“Be there in a minute,” Theo called without looking at him. Liam just smiled, grabbing a seat at the counter and waiting, watching as Theo made the burgers, pulled up a basket of fries from a vat of bubbling oil and served it all onto a tray.

The surprise in his eyes as he turned and met Liam’s gaze was gratifying. They stared at each other for what felt like an age, until Liam tilted his head towards the guys waiting for their food, and Theo flushed, carrying the tray over to them.

He returned slowly, standing in front of Liam, wiping his hands on the dish towel hanging from his apron.

“How can I help you?” Theo asked quietly.

Well, wasn’t that a loaded question?

***

The smell of oil that permeated the entire diner was the only reason that Theo didn’t immediately realise that it was Liam who had just walked in. 

But as he turned, coming face to face with him, those blue eyes gazing into his, Theo was shocked. Had Liam really come looking for him? What did that mean?

Liam’s eyes dropped to the tray he held that he miraculously hadn’t dropped and then over to the group of men who’d ordered the food, and Theo felt a flash of embarrassment. Right, he couldn’t afford to lose this job, and he had paying customers waiting for him.

“Here you go,” he said cheerfully, handing them their plates and cutlery. “Enjoy your meal.” All he received in return were grunts, but he didn’t really care. As long as they ate the food and paid for it then Theo would be happy.

He moved back behind the counter, wiping the grease from his fingers and looking at Liam, feeling apprehensive. What was Liam doing here?”

“How can I help you?” He asked, stuffing his hands into his apron to hide the trembling. Just because Liam was here didn’t mean that Liam wanted him.

“That’s a difficult question,” Liam said after a few moments. “There are a multitude of ways you can help me.”

Theo snorted. “A multitude, huh?” 

Liam smirked at him, and Theo felt himself relax. Things between them hadn’t changed that much.

***

The way Theo rolled his eyes made Liam smile, ducking his head down. The anxiety in his chest eased a little, just enough that he could breathe again. Inevitably, this brought a myriad of scents to him, and the smell of food reminded Liam of why he’d come here in the first place.

“Alright, what’s the first thing?” Theo asked, arching an eyebrow at him.

Liam reached down the counter and grabbed a menu. “Well, first of all,” he said, putting on an air of thoughtfulness, “what’s good at this place?”

Theo actually chuckled, and Liam looked up at him, basking in how carefree Theo looked in that moment. 

“It’s a twenty-four hour diner, Liam. Nothing’s good here. It’s a heart attack on a plate,” he pointed out.

“Sounds perfect,” Liam said, closing the menu. “One heart attack on a plate please, my good sir.”

“Dork,” Theo said, but it was fond, and he smiled as he walked back into the kitchen.

Liam shook his head, watching as Theo moved around preparing his food. 

The sketchy dudes finished their food and came to pay, thankfully without causing any trouble. They left, and then it was only the two of them left in the whole diner.

Theo locked the door behind them, turning the sign to closed.

“What happened to this being a twenty-four hour diner?” Liam asked, shifting a little in his chair.

Theo shrugged. “I’m going on break and I’m the only one here. Sue me.”

Liam said nothing, and Theo winked, moving back to the kitchen and pulling up the chips from the fryer. When he returned, he held the messiest looking dish Liam had even seen.

“What on earth is that?” Liam asked, eyes wide.

“Heart attack on a plate,” Theo grinned. He grabbed a stool and placed it opposite to Liam, handing him a fork. “Dig in.”

***

Theo watched with bemusement as Liam poked at the food with a dubious expression on his face. “Are you sure this is safe?” Liam asked. “It looks like it’s gonna come alive and attack me any second now.”

He laughed. Liam was so cute when he was like this. “Liam, seriously. Just eat it. It’ll change your life, I promise.”

Liam gave him a skeptical look, but dug his fork into the food, spearing some of the meat with the chips. All three of the sauces covered both, and he had to twirl his fork to break it free from the cheese. He put it in his mouth and chewed. Theo smirked. Any second now…

“Oh my god,” Liam moaned, his mouth still full with food. Theo wrinkled up his nose, even as his eyes were shining with delight. “What is this?” Liam asked after he’d managed to chew and swallow.

“Hot chips, kebab meat, cheese and three different sauces: chilli, garlic and barbeque,” Theo told him as he picked up his own fork. “Apparently it’s really popular over in Australia. They call it an AB. Like an atomic bomb, cause it’s like something exploded on the plate.”

Theo scooped some up with his fork, taking a mouthful, eyes closing as he hummed. It was so many carbs, but the hours at the gym later would be worth it. It tasted so fucking good.

“Australians are weird,” Liam said, shaking his head, “but I like it.”

Theo looked at him, a smile dancing on his lips. “Good.”

***

Between the two of them, they devoured the AB, and Liam sat back with a happy sigh. “That was good for my soul.”

“Not so much for your body though,” Theo laughed, grabbing the plate and taking it over to the sink. He started cleaning up, and Liam leaned with his elbows on the counter, his chin in his hands as he watched him.

“True,” he agreed with a cocky grin, “but I’m a werewolf.”

“Damn you and your werewolf metabolism,” Theo said over his shoulder, pretending to look annoyed. Liam just grinned at him.

“What? You gonna have to go sweat it off Raeken?” He teased.

There was a funny look in Theo’s eyes as he wiped his hands on the dish towel. “Maybe,” he said. His eyes darkened slightly, and Liam found his heart beating a little quicker in his chest. It was the elevator all over again, but this time there was no threat of imminent peril to distract them.

His eyes drilled into Theo’s as the chimera moved closer, excitement shivering beneath his skin.

“So,” Theo drawled, eyes flicking down and back up. “What else can I help with you with today?”

“That depends,” Liam said. “What time do you get off?” Theo just smirked and Liam groaned. “Not like that, asshole,” he scowled at him.

Theo just shrugged. “The overnight dude usually gets in at 11.”

Liam checked his phone. It was just past 10 now. Not that long to wait.

“Cool,” he said. “I’ll wait for you then.”

***

It felt weird having Liam there as he reopened the diner (not that anyone came in) and moved around, tidying things up and mopping the floor. Liam just twirled around in the bar stool, talking about whatever came to mind while Theo listened, occasionally adding his own thoughts. Working at the diner was generally pretty boring, especially this late at night, but Liam made the time fly by. It was nice.

Theo was almost disappointed when Jeremy walked in, giving him a polite nod as he walked back to the office. He’d been enjoying himself.

“I’ll be right back,” he told Liam, following Jeremy.

“Who’s the stud?” Jeremy smirked, hanging up his jacket.

Theo flushed a little, knowing full well that Liam would be able to hear them. “Liam,” he said, sticking with the safe option.

“He your boyfriend?” Looked like Jeremy wasn’t going to let him off the hook that easily.

“Not currently,” Theo muttered, glancing back at Liam, who was hiding a smile behind his hand, watching them. Theo scowled at him, discreetly sticking his finger up at him.

Theo took off his apron, hanging it up and then grabbing his own jacket, along with his keys and wallet.

“Bye Theo, have fun tonight,” Jeremy called after him. “Be safe.”

He couldn’t look Liam in the eye as he lead the way outside, his cheeks turning pink. “Sorry about him,” he said to Liam.

“I thought he seemed nice, personally,” Liam responded. 

Theo looked at him, rolling his eyes. “You would. Come on, my truck’s this way.”

Liam fell into step beside him. “Why don’t you park in the car park?” He asked curiously.

“Didn’t want hunters finding out where I work,” Theo replied, stuffing his hands into his pockets.

***

Liam frowned. He didn’t like the air of embarrassment hanging around Theo like a cloud, or the tense set of his shoulders. He’d enjoyed just hanging out with Theo, and it felt like that good feeling was slipping through his fingers.

“Are they much of a problem?” Liam asked. “The hunters?”

Theo gave a non-committal hum. “No more than the cops.”

Liam paused. “What do you mean? Why would the cops be bothering you?”

Theo stopped as well, giving him an incredulous look. “They think I’m a delinquent, Liam. They’re forever waking me up and moving me on.”

This only served to confuse Liam more.

“Move you on?”

“You really don’t know, do you?” Theo asked after almost a minute of staring at him, searching his face. LIam shook his head, having no idea what Theo was even talking about.

With a sigh, Theo turned away and kept walking, and Liam jogged to catch up to him, falling into step beside him.

“Are you going to explain?” Liam probed.

***

Theo had no idea how to feel. All this time, he’d thought that Liam and the others had known about his living situation and just didn’t care. 

They arrived at his truck, and Theo watched as Liam glanced into the back seat, taking in the pillow and blanket that rested there, horror dawning on his face.

“Theo,” Liam breathed, looking up at him.

The pity struck like a blow and Theo hunched in on himself as he unlocked the truck, climbing into the driver’s seat and ignoring Liam as he got in beside him.

“Why?” Liam asked.

“Liam,” Theo sighed, clenching the steering wheel in his hands. “Just don’t, please.”

“No,” Liam growled. “I’m not letting this go. You’ve been ghosting me for weeks and you’ve been living out of your fucking car? Why would you not tell me, Theo?”

Theo ignored him, turning the ignition, and Liam reached over, grabbing them out of the truck and opening his door, throwing them away.

“Are you serious right now?” Theo snapped.

Liam just glared at him, eyes bleeding gold.

“You’re an asshole,” Liam informed him, getting out of the car and slamming the door, stalking off into the woods.

Theo sighed.

***

Liam was furious and hurt. He walked up to the nearest tree, slamming his fist into it with a roar. Behind him, he heard Theo get out of the truck and approach him.

It was just another failure, more proof that Liam was useless. How did he miss something so huge? How had he let it get this bad? Why didn’t Theo  _ trust  _ him?

He took big heaving breaths, trying to calm down, resting his forehead against the bark with his eyes screwed shut.

“Liam,” Theo said quietly.

“No,” Liam said, not looking at him. “I can’t even look at you right now, Theo.”

This seemed to irritate Theo, who snarled at him. “What? I’m the one who’s homeless and I’ve done something wrong? What the fuck Liam?”

“Yes,” Liam yelled, whirling around and advancing on him. “You arrogant bastard, yes, you have done something wrong. Everyone keeps telling me you haven’t changed, and you know what? You just fucking proved them all right, Theo. And I’ve been standing up for you, like a fucking idiot.”

He laughed, and even to his own ears it sounded hollow. He shook his head, looking at Theo, whose eyes were wide as he stared at him, one arm rubbing over his chest as if Liam was striking him a mortal blow.

“You still don’t trust us, Theo,” Liam said quietly. “You don’t trust  _ me _ . I don’t know. Maybe you can’t.”

Theo said nothing, and Liam hardened his heart, turning away. Walking away.

“Don’t sweat it,” he said under his breath. “I’ll find my own way home.”

***

He watched Liam walking away, his heart sinking in his chest, the pain unimaginable. It made what Tara did to him in his nightmares seem like a love tap by comparison. It was breaking him apart.

“Wait,” he croaked.

But Liam didn’t stop, just shaking his head and continuing into the darkness.

Theo felt his eyes well up with tears, blurring his vision. He took a faltering step forward, and then another.

“Liam, wait,” he begged.

On the edge of the clearing, Liam paused, his hands clenched into fists at his sides.

Slowly, Liam turned around.

“You want to know why I came looking for you tonight Theo?” He asked, his voice cold.

Theo nodded, still working on getting his legs to move in Liam’s direction. It felt like he was wading through thick mud, like those dreams when you ran and ran and ran down a hallway only to never reach your destination. It was the same way now, like if he didn’t reach Liam now then he would lose him forever, and he wasn’t ready to give up.

“I came to tell you that I love you,” he said simply.

Theo’s feet stuck to the ground, heavier than lead. He couldn’t move, frozen in place.

“What?” He breathed.

“Stupid right?” Liam snorted, and Theo could see Liam’s heart breaking in his eyes, could see them glazing over with pain.

He turned to leave again, and Theo felt panic choke him. “No!” He yelled.

This time, Liam didn’t stop.

“No,” he pleaded to the darkness.

***

Liam didn’t go far. He couldn’t. Walking through the woods like this was just asking for trouble and he wasn’t so far gone as to risk his life. 

So he sat against a tree, wrapping his arms around his legs, hiding his face as his whole body shook with pent-up emotion. He wanted to cry, but the tears wouldn’t come. Even now, he didn't want to believe that Theo was a lost cause.

His mind whispered to him.  _ He didn’t leave. Isn’t that worth something? _

He heard footsteps, and looked up to find Theo approaching, looking just as wrecked Liam felt.

“No,” Theo said a third time.

“No?” Liam asked hoarsely.

“It’s not stupid,” Theo said, falling to his knees in front of him. “Liam, I swear. It’s not stupid.”

Liam studied his face, trying to stem the hope flowing into his chest.

“It is,” he said, lower lip trembling. “It’s so unbelievably stupid. You don’t want to change, Theo.”

“I do,” Theo said fiercely. “I do, I just don’t know how, Liam. I’m scared.”

He lowered his gaze, hiding the emotion in them, and Liam scoffed, looking away. Theo couldn’t even be vulnerable for a single second.

“I’m not like you,” Theo pleaded. “I never learned to wear my heart on my sleeve. I had to protect it, I had to lock it away, or else it would be taken away from me.”

“This is why we’re different,” Liam said, looking back at him. “You don’t get it at all. I don’t want to take you heart, Theo. I never have.”

He pushed Theo away and got up. This time, he was going to walk away, and there would be no stopping him.

“Then what do you want?” Theo asked desperately.

Liam looked down at him. “I want you to offer it, of your own free choice. I want you to walk into this with both eyes open. And if you can’t, then I don’t want to see you again, Theo. I can’t.”

And with that parting shot, he walked away.

It was up to Theo now.

***

Days passed. Liam grew colder with every day, more distant, the hope in his eyes slowing dying. Theo wasn’t coming.

He went through the motions, school, lacrosse, chores, homework, eat, sleep, repeat, but his heart wasn’t in it. It was with Theo, wherever he was.

Everyone sent him worried looks, but he ignored them. What could they do to help? Nothing.

On the seventh night, a week after he’d walked away from Theo in the preserve, he rolled into bed and closed his eyes, slipping into nightmares of running after something that could never be caught.

***

Theo stood at the end of Liam’s bed, watching him. He was restless, twisting in the sheets, the scent of his anguish painting the walls black. Against his cheeks he could see the tears.

This is what he had done to the boy he loved.

And he did love him. It had taken a few hundred kilometres and a week of sleepless nights to realise it, but he really, truly did. An endless future of sleepless nights had stretched in front of him, further than the horizon, and Theo hadn’t been able to stand looking at it a second longer. 

So he’d turned his truck around, driving all day and all night, finally arriving back at Liam’s house in the early hours of the morning.

It had been terrifyingly easy to break in. It had only taken a second to find the spare key hidden under a pot plant, and he’d unlocked the door, letting himself in. No one in the house had even stirred.

Theo kicked off his shoes and peeled off his socks, left his jacket over the chair. A moment of deliberation had his jeans joining them. The shirt was last to go, left on the floor.

And then he climbed into the bed, slipping under the covers beside Liam, easing the other wolf back into his arms.

Almost immediately, he fell into darkness, asleep before his head hit the pillow.

***

Liam’s eyes opened slowly. His mind was foggy, and it took him an embarrassing amount of time to realise that there was another body in his bed, wrapped around him.

Rolling, he studied Theo’s sleeping face, blinking rapidly as if he expected him to disappear.

He reached a hand up, gently touching Theo’s face, tucking his hair behind his ear.

He was here. He was real.

Theo opened his eyes slowly, and they were dull, red with exhaustion.

“I’m sorry,” he whispered hoarsely.

Liam nodded, still stroking his cheek. “I know,” he said quietly.

Theo smiled, turning his head to kiss Liam’s palm, his lips staying there as he continued to watch Liam, drinking him in the same way Liam was him. 

“Do you want to know why I came here?” Theo asked eventually.

Liam gave a faint smile, nodding at him.

“I came here to tell you I love you,” he whispered. “And that I want to stay, and be with you. I want to give you my heart, if you’ll have me still.”

With a sob, Liam grabbed him, tears falling from his eyes as he kissed Theo. It wasn’t soft and gentle, but it was perfect, with Theo’s lips moving under his, his hands roving up and down Liam’s back as he held him against his chest.

“I love you,” Liam sighed, eyes fluttering open.

Theo smiled. “I love you.”


End file.
